Review: Battle: LA

Why are hostile aliens from outer space so attracted to Los Angeles? They blew the fuck out of California in last year’s Skyline, and in Battle: Los Angeles we really don’t even get a reason for their invasion (it may have something to do with water).

When the movie starts, the city is already in flames. We eventually get some background, but does it matter? Nope. Neither do stars Aaron Eckhart, Michelle Rodríguez, or R&B singer Ne-Yo as screaming soldiers. This is mostly about the slimy, armor-protected, and weapons-wielding creatures, who, to be fair, aren’t only attacking L.A.; all of the world’s major cities are under siege. The military fighting them consists of an interchangeable group of grunts basically used for target practice.

Battle: Los Angeles looks more like a video game than a movie: lots of first-person point-of-view ground assaults and big-ass spaceships flying around. But it’s like a video game that has a crappy story and boring characters and isn’t very much fun.